Recessed lighting in a drop ceiling helps a dark space look bigger
Can lights in a drop ceiling gives you the ability to focus light on the area that you want to highlight or lets you light a lower ceiling without adding dangling light fixtures that could be an obstacle for taller visitors. The drop ceiling itself allows you to hide any wiring that you will need to install. When you are designing your drop ceiling, be sure to have an electrician run wiring for you to the locations you have chosen.
Instructions
1. Measure the dimensions of the room. Create a sketch diagram of your room. Indicate existing light fixtures and the location of the drop ceiling unless the entire room has a drop ceiling.
2. Note the locations of the room that are particularly dark or where there are features that you would like to highlight. For example, you might have a piece of artwork or furniture that you want to draw attention to with a can light.
3. Measure the length of the area that you want to highlight in feet. For example, imagine you have a six foot length of wall space that you plan to highlight.
4. Determine the number of lights that you need in the area by considering the diameter of the can light you plan to use. For can lights with a 3-inch diameter, the lights should be placed 3 feet apart. For can lights with a 4-inch diameter, the lights should be placed 4 feet apart and for can lights that are 5 inches in diameter, the lights should be placed 5 feet apart. Another way to think about this is that a 3-inch light can illuminate an area of 1 1/2 feet in each direction, a 4-inch light can illuminate an area of 2 feet in each direction and a 5-inch light can illuminate an area of 2 1/2 feet in each direction. In the example from Step 3, three can lights of 3 inches in diameter and two can lights of 4 to 5 inches in diameter would be needed to cover the full 6 feet.
Tags: drop ceiling, diameter lights, area feet, area feet each, diameter lights should, each direction